Energy right off the bat was something that was missing a lot of the time during the Los Angeles Kings’ traumatic five-game road trip. Not only that, but their inability to score goals made it infinitely more difficult for this group to win games after falling behind early. Last night against the Montreal Canadiens, the Kings were fresh and rested and they flipped the script by coming out with that jump early and finally being able to run up the scoreboard, picking up a 6-3 win in their first game back at Crypto.com Arena.
“What did we have, 10 shots in the first four minutes? So yeah we started how we were supposed to start […] it was a hard game to play,” said head coach Jim Hiller.
“Sometimes it goes in, and sometimes it doesn’t” was something both Jim Hiller and Kevin Fiala said postgame. Throughout January, it felt like it was never going in for the Kings, they scored just 22 goals, and now, through the first two games in February, they already have 10.
It’s been home sweet home for the Kings all season long as they continue to thrive in front of their fans with a 16-3-1 record, the best in the NHL. While the Canadiens did play the night before in San Jose, and that was evident throughout the game, the Kings could only control how they showed up. And they showed up, potting six goals in a game for just the third time this season.
“The energy from the home crowd really drives the team. We felt like we have been on the other side of that for so long, so really good to get in front of our home fans,” said Hiller.
Fiala Is Automatic
It’s players like Fiala who are supposed to be the ones carrying a big chunk of the offensive production. After all, it cost the Kings a hefty amount to bring him to LA. While the consistency hasn’t been there this season, Fiala has started to heat up at the perfect time.
“Kevin didn’t have a great start to the season, obviously there were some different things that were going on that he was working through, that him and I were working through,” Hiller said. “He’s worked his way through it and he’s been working hard and constantly and really I think playing his best hockey consistently. You can probably go back about 10 games. It hasn’t gotten all the results, but you can just feel it coming […] it’s nice to see it start to go in for him.”
As we all know, the Kings have gone through a rough patch where offensive production has been a luxury they haven’t been able to afford. Over the past eight games in which the Kings have scored a goal, Fiala has had six goals and 11 points. He has now scored four goals in the last two games, two against the Carolina Hurricanes and two last night against the Canadiens.
Both of his goals yesterday came from the same area of the ice, the right circle. Both were quick one-timers that restored a two-goal lead for the Kings. Whether it’s the right circle, left circle, or the high slot in the middle, Fiala is at his most dangerous when releasing a puck from that general area of the ice. Out of his 20 goals scored this season, 11 of them have come from somewhere in that area.
What’s interesting about this team and its offensive weapons is that they don’t seem to be feeling it at the same time. The Kings’ two 20-goal scorers, Adrian Kempe and Fiala, like to take turns having their big moments. The Kings don’t score a lot of goals to begin with and if they can get that elite production from Fiala and Kempe at the same time, it’s going to be a hell of a lot easier for them to rack up the wins.
Kings Diversifying the Way They Score
If you have watched the Kings this season, then you would know that the way they like to generate offense is very simple and direct. Gain possession of the puck in the offensive zone, work it back to the point, and have their defensemen shoot while the forwards crash the net. It’s interesting, with how much speed the Kings possess throughout their lineup, that they don’t create a whole lot off the rush.
Against the Canadiens, we saw a bit of everything, and even though that fast-paced entry into the zone while trying to find that trailer isn’t their “go-to” strategy, it was nice to see that scoring that way and utilizing their speed is still possible, after multiple games of them aimlessly throwing pucks toward the net.
Related: Kings Takeaways: Snap Losing Streak & Scoring Slump With 4-2 Win Over Hurricanes
Throwing pucks to the net did work in a sense last night, although this time the Kings made an effort to get bodies to the front of the net making it difficult for Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes to track the puck. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov got the party started 1:39 into the first period with a blast from the point as forward Alex Laferriere provided the screen. The Kings reciprocated that 15 seconds into the third period when defenseman Brandt Clarke ripped a shot from up high as Kempe stood in front of the crease.
“On both the goals you saw Laf in front of the goaltender and you saw Juice (Kempe) in front of the goaltender. If the goalie’s going to see it from there, he’s going to stop it so those were really important moments not just the shots but the two screens,” said Hiller.
Not only was the line of Fiala, Laferriere, and Quinton Byfield the trio that was on the ice for three of the four actual goals the Kings scored (one was a penalty shot and one was an empty netter) but they were the ones who generated the goals that came off the rush. On Fiala’s first goal, it all started in the defensive zone with a terrific play along the boards by both Byfield and Laferriere. It allowed Laferriere to break the puck out all by himself before dishing one across to Fiala in his sweet spot.
That's a sweeeet setup from Laffy 🍬 pic.twitter.com/ByNbcxuQgD
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 6, 2025
Good defense leads to offense. That’s the identity of the Kings and on their fifth goal of the game and Fiala’s second, that’s exactly how they scored. Gavrikov broke up a play at the Kings’ blue line which allowed them to transition the other way. Gavrikov and Fiala played a little bit of a give-and-go entering the offensive zone before once again, Fiala buried the one-timer.
It was that line of Fiala, Byfield, and Laferriere that stood out the most last night, being able to use their speed to their advantage when attacking and attempting to gain the offensive zone. They have played together for a few games now but it has really been the last couple of games where their individual skill sets have started to mesh well together and they have been able to provide that much-needed offense for the Kings.
“I think Kevin and Laf are more pure offensive players and Q (Byfield) just does a great job of complementing them offensively yes, but also taking care of them defensively so I think it fits pretty good, I think it’s just good chemistry through the three of them,” said Hiller.
Now with two straight wins, the most important thing is for the Kings to keep that streak going after dropping numerous games in January. Lucky enough for the Kings they have two more games, both of which are at home, before the 4 Nations Face-Off break and when they come back, they have another three games at home. Over the rest of February, they have a great opportunity to try and gain some distance in the standings after allowing both the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks to climb back and make things interesting.
